Saltwater---Freshwater swap

[brotherluv]

Hey everyone,

As you can see I'm toying with the idea of selling some saltwater setups...the alternative to this is to consolidate all the saltwater tanks into a 125g...only problem; its housing about 40 African Malawi Cichlids that I can't bear to part with.  So...29g SW, 40g breeder with 30g sump SW and a 55g SW setup...I have all the equipment I'd need minus one LED unit which is already made and waiting for me...what would be the easiest and best way to move my livestock and corals into the opposite tanks?  I'm thinking half the cichlids into the 55g half into the breeder...all SW into the 125g...what's your opinion?

[Feivel]

Dont forget to rince your sand before placing it in your new tank. All the bugs and paths they create are collapsed and the die and make a nitrate spike. Trust me :-)  try and keep the from air as much as possible. Let the tank settle a few hours between the sand,and base rocks. Then after the water clears up add the coral filled rocks and fish afterwards. You can use big rubbermaid storage bickets to store your livestock temporarily. Dont forget water circulation and heater. Maybbe use a turkey bastor and blast out the orrifices and clean out the crud from the holes.

The rubbermaid bins are cheap and good for water changes afterwards etc. I have 2.,one for mix water and one for waste water.

Have you ever use copper in the cychlid tank?

[brotherluv]

The tank has never seen any chemicals...they've only had 1 casualty due to it being sucked into the filter...should I use the water from the other tanks in the 125g?  If i do as long as the sand doesnt touch air for too long it won't re-cycle?  Also, can I use the aragonite in the cichlid tank without washing it out first?

[White Lightning]

I have switched over many tanks through the years and have found it to be a lot of work. If you are going to use your freshwater substrate in your SW, you will have to rinse it first.
As mentioned above, I would pick up some rubber maids for storing your rock and corals. I've always used the old tank water when switching things over. I usually did the switch over the course of 3 days. Good luck!